Can cover lock



May 16, 1961 c. L. HEDRICK CAN COVER LOCK Filed July 29. 1959 Cecil L. Hedr/b/r 1N VEN TOR.

United States Patent CAN COVER LOCK Cecil L. Hedrick, 72 Greenwood Ave., Wheeling, W. Va. Filed July 29, 1959, Ser. No. 830,273 Claims. (Cl. 292-258) This invention relates to receptacle lid o'r cover locks and more particularly to a locking device for garbage cans, trash cans and other types of cans with an openable lid.

An object of the invention is to provide a locking device by which to convert ordinarily trash, garbage, etc. cans into safety cans for waste or storage containers making it quite difficult to remove the lid unless the lock is released. This will prevent dogs, cats and other animals from removing the lid, for instance during the night time. The attendant advantages of safety, sanitation and convenience are at once evident.

Briefly, the invention comprises a grip from which a pair of extensible, resilient and flexible arms extend. These arms are adapted to be connected to the receptacle handles and extend over the top of the lid, holding it firmly fixed in place but enabling the owner to very easily release the retaining or locking device when it is desired to use the can.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure l is a side elevational view of the lid hold-down and retaining or locking device.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the device showing it used on one type of receptacle.

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the device ShOW- ing it used on another type of receptacle.

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 55 of Figure 1.

In the accompanying drawings a receptacle is shown with a conventional lid or cover 14. In Figure 3 there is a different type of receptacle 10a with essentially the same type of lid or cover 14a as shown in Figure 2. This multiple illustration of receptacles is intended to diagrammatically represent the fact that numerous types and manufacturers makes of receptacles may be used with locking device 16.

The lid hold-down and retaining o'r locking device comprises a handle or hand grip 18 together with two resilient, flexible and extensible arms 20 and 22 respectively, each of which is identical in construction. The handle or hand grip 18 is made of a U-shaped member 24 having sides or end portions 26 and 28 together with a bight portion or cross member 30 joined at the outer ends of sides 24 and 26. A hand gripper 32 is mounted for rotation on member 30 and may be in the form of a cylinder through which member 30 extends. A linking and connecting member 34 parallel to member 30, is joined to the lower ends of sides o'r end portions 24 and 26, for example by being made integral with one side thereof and rigidly connected with the other side thereof. It is preferred that there be a pair of eyes or 2 loops 36 and 38 at the juncture of member 34 with sides 24 and 26.

Each arm, 20 or 22, is made of a larger diametered or stout coil spring 40 and a similar but smaller diametered spring 42 telescopically and adjustably fitted within and r rictionally held within the bore 41 of spring 40 by way of the coils embodied in the latter spring. An eye 44 is at one end of spring 40 and is engaged with loop 38. There is an eye 46 at the upper end of arm 20 and it is engaged with loop 36 thereby swingingly connecting both arms 20 and 22 with handle 18.

The outer extremities of the smaller diameter springs 42 and 43 of arms 22 and 20 respectively, are equipped with eyes 48 and 50 within which fasteners, for instance S-hooks 52 and 54 are engaged.

As shown in Figure 4 both lid 14 and 14a have U- shaped handles 58 and 58a with an upwardly opening trough or groove 60 at the top thereof. This is conventional trash and garbage can handle or hand grip construction. Member '34 is adapted to seat in this trough (Figure 4) to prevent the device from slipping from the latched to the unlatched or released position. The S- hooks 52 and 54 are engageable with the side handles 63 and 64 of receptacle 10 or engageable with the brackets 67 and 68 of receptacle 10a by fitting in openings in each.

When in the latched position the arms 20 and 22 are engaged with the handles 63, 64 or with the brackets 66, 6'7 and the device is swung up over the lid of the receptacle to a position at which transverse member 34 seats within the hand grip. In order to release the device 16 the only requirement is that the hand grip 18 be slipped from grip 58 and permitted to slide alongside of the receptacle as shown by the dotted line position in Figure 2.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention a claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. For use as a lid hold-down and retainer, a garbage can lid retaining device comprising an arm connecting and linking member of a length and cross-section that it may rest removably in the grooved bight portion of a U- shaped hand grip atop the stated lid, a U-shaped hand grip having a bight portion spaced from and parallel to said member and end portions at right angles to and connected to end portions of said member, a pair of duplicate flexibly resilient arms, said arms being extensible and contractible, inner end portions of the arms being hingedly connected to respective end portions of said linking and connecting member, outer end portions of said arms having attaching and retaining means.

2. The structure defined in claim 1, and wherein each arm embodies a pair of coil springs, adjacent ends of the respective springs being telescopically and adjustably connected together to adjust the over-all length of the arm, the adjacent inner ends of the inner springs being hingedly connected to end portions of the linking and connecting member, the means on the outer springs comprising pivotally attached hooks for attachment to cooperating portions of the aforementioned can.

3. For use as a lid hold-down and retainer, a garbage can lid retaining device comprising an arm connecting and linking member for a length and cross-section that it may rest removably in the grooved bight portion of a U-shaped hand grip atop the stated lid, said linking memher being rigid, a U-shaped hand grip having a bight porloops at its ends, a pair of duplicate flexibly resilient arms, said arms being extensible and contractible, inner end portions ofthe arms having eyes hingedly connected with their respective loops being hingedly connected to respective end portions of said linking and connecting member, outer end portions of said arms having pivotally connected attaching and retaining hook means.

4. For use as a lid hold-down and retainer; a mechanical garbage can lid locking device comprising a pair of duplicate arms each embodying adjustably connected elongate axially alignable coil springs, cooperating inner ends of said arms being spaced apart, a rigid elongated arm linking and connecting member interposed between said inner ends and having loops at its ends to which eyes carried by said inner ends are hingedly connected, a rigid hand grip connected to said member, and arm-anchoring hooks pivotally connected to the outer ends of said arms.

5. For use as a lid hold-down and retainer; a mechanical garbage can lid locking device comprising a pair of duplicate arms each embodying adjustably connected elongate axially alignable coil springs, cooperating inner ends of said arms being spaced apart, a rigid elongated arm linking and connecting member interposed between said inner ends, said inner ends being hingedly connected to the adjacent respective inner ends of said linking member, a rigid U-shaped hand grip connected to said linking member, and means carried by the respective outer ends of said arms for attachment to and retention on diametrically opposite portions of said garbage can.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Nelson Feb. 29, 1916 Miller Dec. 12, 1916 Pfeiffer Mar. 18, 1941 Zehnder Dec. 8, 1953 OTHER REFERENCES Popular Mechanics, June 1952., page 117. 

